Final Harrier League date set to Start

CARL Avery certainly justified his England call-up when finishing fifth in a punishing Inter-Counties CrossCountry Championships at Prestwold Hall Estate on the outskirts of Loughborough.

The Lindsay Dunn-coached Morpeth athlete has been in superb form since the turn of the year coming out on top in the Northern Championships at Harewood and then finishing eighth in the National at Parliament Hill.

So it came as no surprise when England team manager Eamonn Martin got in touch on the eve of the Inter-Counties confirming his selection for the Home Countries CrossCountry International in Nottingham on March 24.

It will be Avery’s first England callup though he did compete in the Home International in 2016 at Falkirk where he was part of the North of England team where he finished fifth and ahead of a number of the England representatives.

Surprisingly, the England team for Nottingham was selected on athletes’ form in last month’s National and it shows Avery’s commitment to representing the North East in last weekend’s Inter-Counties XC that he still took his place on the start line despite having to contest quagmire conditions, a point that went down well with Stewy Bell, the NE team manager.

Bell had seen his senior squad decimated for the Loughborough trip but was grateful that Avery who had every reason to pull out, stayed loyal to the cause and in the end was rewarded with a superb performance.

Now, Avery can concentrate on posting another eye-catching showing in what will bring down the curtain on the cross-country campaign. Avery, a talented duathlon performer who has represented GB in the age group categories, has decided to put the running/cycling/ running competitions on the back burner and concentrate on the running side of the sport which is understandable considering the way he is performing at present. Following a quick warm-down after crossing the finish line and heading back to his Seahouses base, Avery confessed that the England call came out of the blue but was delighted to get the call. “I knew the Home International was coming up but I didn’t think eighth in the National would be good enough to get into the squad,” he said.

“It’s a four-man team so some of the lads who finished ahead of me must be either injured or unavailable but whatever I’m over the moon to pick up an England vest.’’

Avery, who was rushing off to attend fellow Morpeth athlete Thomas Straughan’s wedding evening get-together, added: “Let’s hope today hasn’t taken too much out of me though I do have a couple of weeks to recover and hopefully I can finish the season on a high.’’

Now that the cross-country season is almost over Avery has plans to turn his attention to the summer and racing on the track, something that has been alien to the 31-yearold in the past. The change of terrain is a challenge the Northumbrian is looking forward to and while he enjoys the challenge of tough crosscountry events track racing has been at a premium since he came back into the sport just a few years ago.

“We’ve decided that I should tackle a few races on the track during the summer rather than do a lot of road races,’’ confessed Avery. IT’S no mean feat that the final Start Fitness North East Harrier League fixture will take place this weekend after the original fixture was postponed due to extreme weather conditions.

Planning a fixture usually takes weeks and months so those who have managed to turn around the meeting inside two weeks have to be congratulated.

Yes, a packed calendar means that Saturday’s fixture clashes with other events, mainly the English Schools’ Cross-Country Championships, leaving a number of athletes disappointed but rather than have no fixture at all those involved with the organisation have gone for the only feasible date possible.

Alnwick Harriers, the host club, had no choice but to postpone the original fixture but have since pulled out all the stops to see that it can still go ahead, albeit two weeks later than scheduled.

Lots of work, much of which is repeated, has gone on behind the scenes over the past couple of weeks which has delighted the NEHL committee who are relieved that the league’s seven-fixture season will be completed.

Vicki Thompson, the NEHL women’s secretary, is particularly pleased that the fixture has been rearranged as she will be able to take part after completing her day’s admin duties.

“A few years ago we lost a fixture and it couldn’t be re-arranged but this time round that isn’t the case so we should be thankful for that,’’ said Thompson.

“Alnwick Harriers had to get the permission of the land owners again which took a few days, then there was certification for the fixture to be renewed as well as seeing that first aid personnel, technical officials and marshals were available.

“Alnwick Pastures is always a popular venue which, with it being the final fixture of the season attracts a huge number of competitors.” ■■THE final Gateshead College Indoor Athletics meeting of the winter is being held tomorrow.

Track events begin at 7pm, with field events starting at 6.15pm. Enter via www.raceresults.co.uk/results/2017. Entries also accepted on the night from 5.30pm.